Monday, August 11, 2008

Phew

The Phillies flirted with disaster all weekend- part and parcel of their .211 BA, 3-run per game offense for the month of August. You can’t demand, or act disappointed, if one professional baseball team doesn’t sweep another. But the Phillies can’t afford to be losing two-of-three to Pittsburgh at home either. They didn’t- but they flirted with it all weekend: drop the first game, touch-and-go all day yesterday.

They went 3-3 for the week; the Mets 4-2. So it was a good week for New York. The Mets picked up a game and now have eight straight against the pathetic outfit in Washington and the not-so-good Pirates. All while the Phillies go out West, without a day off, for seven. The way the Phillies are hitting, and with Lidge out, I’d sign for four wins now- and three is a real possibility. Candidly, if the Phillies are sitting here at this time next week, still up at least two on both the Mets and Marlins, I’ll be very satisified.

Conlin takes time to smash Brett Myers today- an always easy, fun target in Philadelphia. You know, we get it out here. Smacking your wife is inexcusable. He’s difficult in the clubhouse. And not having a very good year.

But you know, the guy- when the chips are down- has repeatedly stepped up and taken bullets for this club. He went to the ‘pen last year and saved the season- a decision that carried real professional risk for him. People forget just how bad that situation was. Myers could have said “no”- and watched the Phillies slide hopelessly into an 88-loss campaign. Or give up a young player (Kyle Kendrick?) for some sort of Tom Gordon-style stop gap.

Despite his success as a closer, and his desire to stay there, the Phillies moved him back to the rotation this year. Again, no fuss- no public rants about the Phillies taking him out of a role he liked and was good at. Took his demotion like a man- and, in case we’ve missed it, been damn good lately.

Frankly, if you’re pitching into the eighth inning with one earned run, you can fuss all you want about coming out. We need more pitchers faced with that sort of horrid eighth inning attitude problem.

Lastly, the guys over at We Should Be GMs made me laugh- although I don't know exactly why- with this Isaac Hayes tribute:

Burrell!Who's the right handed stickThat hits longballs for all the chicks?(Burrell!)You're damn rightWho is the manThat would hit the wall for his pitcher man?(Burrell!)Can ya dig it?Who's the cat that won't strikeoutWhen there's runners all about(Shaft!)Right onYou see this cat Burrell is a bad mother--(Shut your mouth)But I'm talkin' about Burrell(Then we can dig it)He's a complicated manBut no one understands him but his woman(Pat Burrell)